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As an effective technology for the rapid treatment of soft-soil foundations, geosynthetic encased stone column (GESC) composite foundations are commonly used in various embankment engineerings, including those situated on sloped soft foundations. Nevertheless, there is still a scarcity of stability studies for sloped GESC composite foundations. Several 3D numerical models for sloped GESC composite foundations were established using an equivalent method. The influences of the area replacement ratio and the tensile strength of geosynthetic encasement on the stability were investigated. The results showed that the stability increased nonlinearly with the area replacement ratio, and there existed an optimal area replacement ratio (e.g., 24.56% in this study) to balance the safety and economic requirements. The stability increased linearly with the tensile strength of geosynthetic encasement at low tensile strength levels (lower than 105 kN/m in this study), and the impact was relatively limited compared with that of the area replacement ratio. In addition, the stability generally decreased nonlinearly as the foundation slope decreased, and high-angle (foundation slope close to 30°) sloped GESC composite foundations are recommended to be treated with multiple reinforcement techniques. The relationship between the minimum area replacement ratio and the foundation slope was further quantified by an exponential function, allowing for the determination of the area replacement ratio of various sloped GESC composite foundations and providing theoretical guidance for engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon carbide (SiC) has good chemical resistance, excellent mechanical properties, thermal conductivity, especially in extreme conditions of application, and has proved to be a very promising electromagnetic absorption material. However, single silicon carbide cannot meet the increasing demand for high performance of absorbing materials. It has become an important research direction to combine it with other absorbing materials to improve its absorbing performance. In this study, a composite absorber material was prepared by 50 wt.% micron-sized beta-silicon carbide (β-sic) powder, mixed with a 0.2 wt.% multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and 50 wt.% polyurethane (PU) substrate. The mixture was stirred and deaerated to form a slurry, and sprayed onto synthetic fabric. The results showed that the composite material was flexible, with a thickness of less than 2 mm and favorable adhesion. The results obtained by reflection graph of the radar waves, indicated that the return loss within the X-band range (8–12 GHz) was less than −40 dB, indicating favorable radar wave absorption. Therefore, composite materials could thus be used successfully as radar wave absorbers, and was suitable for stealth materials in "asymmetric warfare". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radix Asteris (RA), also known as 'Zi Wan', is the dried root and rhizome of Aster tataricus L. f., which has been used to treat cough and asthma in many countries such as China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. This article summarizes the available information on RA in ancient Chinese medicine books and modern research literature: its botanical properties, traditional uses, chemical composition, pharmacological activity, toxicity and quality control. Studies have shown that RA extracts contain terpenes, triterpenoid saponins, organic acids, peptides and flavonoids, and have various pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, and anti-depression. RA is considered to be a promising medicinal plant based on its traditional use, chemical constituents and pharmacological activities. However, there are few studies on its toxicity and the consistency of its components, which indicates the need for further in-depth studies on the toxicity and quality control of RA and its extracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) was developed to enhance the absorption of heparin after oral administration, in which heparin was compounded with phospholipids to achieve better fat solubility in the form of heparin-phospholipid (HEP-Pc) complex. HEP-Pc complex was prepared using the solvent evaporation method, which increased the solubility of heparin in n-octanol. The successful preparation of HEP-Pc complex was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, NMR, and SEM. A heparin lipid microemulsion (HEP-LM) was prepared by high-pressure homogenization and characterized. HEP-LM can enhance the absorption of heparin after oral administration, significantly prolong activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and thrombin time (TT) in mice, and reduce fibrinogen (FIB) content. All these outcomes indicate that HEP-LM has great potential as an oral heparin formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new cucurbitane-typetriterpenoid glycosides, named Xuedanoside F–J (1–5), were obtained from the rhizomes of Hemsleya penxianensis (Xue dan), which belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae. These new compounds were elucidated byspectroscopic analysis, including 1D, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS spectra. Additionally, all the isolates were evaluated for cytotoxicity against three human cancer cell lines (Hela, MCF-7, and A-549) with the IC50 ranging from 2.25 to 49.44 µM in vitro with treatment 48 h and showed low cytotoxicity in human normal liver L-02 cells (IC50 > 50 µM). Compound 5 showed the most significant cytotoxic activity with the IC50 value of 2.25, 4.72, and 5.33 µM in 48 h, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new naphthalene derivatives, named Eleutherols A⁻C ( 1 ⁻ 3 ) and Eleuthinones B⁻C ( 4 , 5 ), together with three known compounds were isolated from the bulbs of Eleutherine americana . Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis including HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR techniques. These compounds exhibited a potent effect against the injury of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVECs) induced by high concentrations of glucose in vitro.

Four new 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone derivatives ( 1 - 4 ) were isolated from the EtOH extract of Chinese agarwood produced via the whole-tree agarwood-inducing technique, coming from Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Spreng. (Thymelaeaceae). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, such as UV, IR, MS, 1D as well as 2D NMR. All of the isolates were then assessed for their anti-inflammatory activities on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7. Compound 1 exhibited significant inhibitory activity with an IC 50 value of 4.6 μM.